Laser micromachining with tailored bursts of short laser pulses

ABSTRACT

A series of laser pulse bundles or bursts are used for micromachining target structures. Each burst includes short laser pulses with temporal pulse widths that are less than approximately 1 nanosecond. A laser micromachining method includes generating a burst of laser pulses and adjusting an envelope of the burst of laser pulses for processing target locations. The method includes adjusting the burst envelope by selectively adjusting one or more first laser pulses within the burst to a first amplitude based on processing characteristics of a first feature at a target location, and selectively adjusting one or more second laser pulses within the burst to a second amplitude based on processing characteristics of a second feature at the target location. The method further includes directing the amplitude adjusted burst of laser pulses to the target location.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to laser micromachining. In particular,the present disclosure relates to laser systems and methods that use atailored burst of short or ultrashort laser pulses.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Laser micromachining processes include, for example, semiconductormemory link processing, material trimming, wafer/panel scribing,wafer/panel dicing, and via drilling. Generally, laser micromachiningmay use laser pulses having wavelengths of, for example, 1.3 μm, 1.064μm, 1.053 μm, or 1.047 μm, and their harmonics, and pulse widths in ananosecond range (e.g., between a few nanoseconds and approximately 200nanoseconds), depending on the particular materials and target structureto be processed, the laser sources used, and the pulse repetition ratesused. Laser micromachining processes such as wafer dicing, for example,may use mode-locked laser pulses with pulse widths that are less thanapproximately 1 nanosecond and pulse repetition rates that are between afew Hz and approximately 300 kHz or higher.

After manufacture of a semiconductor memory array chip is complete,integrated circuit (IC) patterns on an exposed surface of the chip aregenerally sealed with an electrically insulating layer of passivatingmaterial. Typical passivating materials include resins or thermoplasticpolymers such as, for example, polyimide, SiO₂, or SiN. The purpose ofthis final “passivation” layer is to prevent the surface of the chipfrom reacting chemically with ambient moisture, to protect the surfacefrom environmental particulates, and to absorb mechanical stress.Following passivation, the chip is mounted in an electronic packageembedded with metal interconnects that allow probing and functionaltesting of the memory cells. When one of many memory cells is determinedto be faulty, the cell is disabled by severing the conductiveinterconnects, or wires, linking that cell to its neighbors in thearray. Wires to one of a plurality of “redundant” memory cells may alsobe severed to activate the redundant memory cell for replacement of thefaulty cell. Disabling and/or activating individual memory cells by“link processing” or “link blowing” is accomplished by lasermicromachining equipment that is capable of directing laser beam energyso as to selectively remove the link material in a highly localizedregion without imparting damage to the materials adjacent to, below, orabove the target. Selectively processing a designated link may beachieved by varying the laser beam wavelength, spot size, pulserepetition rate, pulse shape, or other spatial or temporal beamparameters that influence the interaction of the target with thedelivered laser energy.

Laser micromachining processes that entail post-processing ofelectrically conductive links in memory arrays or other types of ICchips use sharp pulses with a fast rising front edge (e.g., with a 0.1to 10 nanosecond rise time) to achieve desired quality, yield, andreliability. To cleanly sever a link, the laser pulse penetrates theoverlying passivation layer before cutting through the metalinterconnect. The rising edge of a typical pulse from an existingsolid-state laser varies with pulse width. Use of a traditionalGaussian-shaped laser pulse having a 5-20 nanosecond pulse width and asloped, gradually rising front edge in link processing tends to cause an“over crater” in the passivation layer, especially if its thickness istoo large or is uneven. Over cratering reduces the reliability of ICchips.

Rupture behavior of overlying passivation layers has been well analyzedby Yunlong Sun in his PhD dissertation entitled, “Laser processingoptimization of semiconductor based devices” (Oregon Graduate Institute,1997). Because passivation layer thickness is an important parameter,the optimal thickness of a particular passivation layer material may bedetermined by simulations based on Sun's analysis. Difficulty inmaintaining wafer-level process control of the passivation layer duringIC fabrication may result in non-optimal thickness and poor cross-waferor wafer-to-wafer thickness uniformity. Therefore, optimizingcharacteristics of laser pulses used in post-processing may help tocompensate for mis-targeted dimensions and sources of variation in thepassivation layer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,471 of Smart proposes using substantiallysquare-shaped laser pulses for link processing. Such a sharp-edged pulsemay be generated by coupling a master oscillator laser with a fiberamplifier (MOPA). This low power master oscillator employs a diode laserthat is capable of generating a square-shaped pulse with a fast risetime. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,516 of Yunlong Sun et al.,which patent is assigned to the assignee of this patent application,states that, despite a vertical rising edge, a substantiallysquare-shaped laser pulse is not the best laser pulse shape for linkprocessing. Instead, Sun, et al. describes use of a specially tailoredlaser pulse shape that, in one embodiment, resembles a chair, with afast rising peak or multiple peaks to most effectively process links,followed by a drop-off in signal strength that remains relatively flatat a lower power level before shutting off. Such a tailored laser pulse,with high peak power but low average power, has been successfullygenerated by what is called pulse slicing technology, which can beimplemented by either electro-optical modulation (EOM) oracousto-optical modulation (AOM). For example, a conventional activeQ-switched solid-state laser provides nanosecond seed pulses with highintensity and high pulse energy, and then a light-loop slicing devicetransforms a standard laser pulse into a desired tailored pulse shape.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/057,264, of Xiaoyuan Peng et al.,which application is assigned to the assignee of the present patentapplication, teaches a light-loop slicing scheme implemented, forexample, in an ultraviolet (UV) laser system for semiconductor linkprocessing. Alternatively, a specially tailored laser pulse may begenerated by a MOPA (Master Oscillator, Power Amplifier) that employs again fiber as the power amplifier. Using a MOPA is advantageous in thatit constitutes a stable signal source at a specified constant frequency.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0159138 of PascalDeladurantaye describes a shaped-pulse laser in which two modulatorsshape a continuous wave (CW) light beam to generate various shapedpulses. However, generating a pulsed laser from a CW light beam isfairly inefficient, and thus requires more amplification. Because such alow peak-power signal may be influenced by noise, which causespulse-to-pulse instability, the two modulators are preferablysynchronized to maintain pulse stability and energy stability, therebyadding further complexity and cost.

The above systems and methods generally use laser pulses with pulsewidths in the nanosecond range. However, laser pulses with pulse widthsin the nanosecond range have disadvantages. As has been discussed indetail by Yunlong Sun, “Laser Processing Optimization for SemiconductorBased Devices” (unpublished doctoral thesis, Oregon Graduate Instituteof Science and Technology, 1997), conventional laser link processingwith nanosecond pulse width may rely on heating, melting, andevaporating the link, and creating a mechanical stress build-up toexplosively open the overlying passivation layer with a single laserpulse. Such a conventional link processing laser pulse creates a largeheat affected zone (HAZ) that could deteriorate the quality of thedevice that includes the severed link. For example, when the link isrelatively thick or the link material is too reflective to absorb anadequate amount of the laser pulse energy, more energy per laser pulseis used to sever the link. Increased laser pulse energy increases thedamage risk to the IC chip, including irregular or over sized opening inthe overlying passivation layer, cracking in the underlying passivationlayer, damage to the neighboring link structure and damage to thesilicon (Si) substrate. However, using laser pulse energy within arisk-free range on thick links often results in incomplete linksevering.

Thus, investigations have been performed for using ultrafast lasers(either picosecond or femtosecond lasers) to process semiconductormaterials such as links in IC chips. However, the high peak power of asingle ultrafast pulse may easily damage the underlying Si substrate,which is unacceptable in many applications. One solution to the problemof high peak power substrate damage caused by ultrafast lasers is to usea burst or train of ultrafast pulses with smaller peak powers. A pulsetrain with low peak intensity also has the effect of producing a smallereffective spot size in the material. A problem with using a train ofultrafast pulses is that many commercially available ultrafast lasersthat use a pulse picker have pulse repetition rates in the 1 kHz to 200kHz range. Without the pulse picker, a mode-locked laser runs at a fixedrepetition rate that is typically in the tens of megahertz range. Such arepetition rate may be difficult to be directly applied to links becausestage movement, typically approximately 400 mm/s, is too slow to movethe “next” laser pulse to the “next” link within the laser pulseinterval time of a few tens of nanoseconds.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,250 issued to Yunlong Sun et al., which patent isassigned to the assignee of the present patent application, uses burstsof ultrashort laser pulses to sever conductive links. The pulse width ofeach laser pulse within a burst may be between 25 picoseconds and 100femtoseconds. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0199927, ofBo Gu et al., uses a laser with at least one pulse having a pulseduration in a range between approximatley 10 picoseconds and less thanappoximately 1 nanosecond. Achim Nebel et al. from Lumera Laser GmbHhave demonstrated a passively mode-locked laser that uses digital timingcontrol to generate sequences or groups of pulses. See, “Generation ofTailored Picosecond-Pulse-Trains for Micro-Machining,” Photonics West2006, LASE Conference: Commercial and Biomedical Applications ofUltrafast Lasers VI Paper No. 6108-37. The system taught by Achim Nebelet al. is based on a “double-switch” scheme generated by high-voltageelectro-optical (EO) pulse-picker that drives a voltage passing a halfwave of a Pockels cell and generates two HV pulses in one cycle. Thedelay time between groups of pulses is changeable.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A series of laser pulse bundles or bursts are used for micromachiningtarget structures. The target structures may be on or in semiconductordevices, for example, that have multiple layers. Each burst includesshort laser pulses with temporal pulse widths that are less thanapproximately 1 nanosecond. In some embodiments, each laser pulse has atemporal pulse width in a range between approximately 1 nanosecond andapproximately 100 femtoseconds.

In one embodiment, a laser micromachining method includes generating aburst of laser pulses and adjusting an envelope of the burst of laserpulses for processing target locations. The method includes adjustingthe burst envelope by selectively adjusting one or more first laserpulses within the burst to a first amplitude based on processingcharacteristics of a first feature at a target location, and selectivelyadjusting one or more second laser pulses within the burst to a secondamplitude based on processing characteristics of a second feature at thetarget location. The method further includes directing the amplitudeadjusted burst of laser pulses to the target location.

In another embodiment, a laser micromachining method includes generatingbursts of laser pulses, adjusting a burst envelope of a first burst oflaser pulses based on a first target type, and adjusting a burstenvelope of a second burst of laser pulses based on a second targettype. The method further includes directing the first burst of laserpulses to a first target location of the first target type, anddirecting the second burst of laser pulses to a second target locationof the second target type. In certain such embodiments, the amplitude ofone or more pulses within a burst is set to approximately zero such thatthe burst forms a “double burst.”

Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B graphically illustrate laser pulse bursts according toone embodiment.

FIG. 2 graphically illustrates example burst envelopes that may beproduced according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a laser micromachining process according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a multilayered semiconductor devicethat is scribed using sequential laser pulse bursts according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4B schematically illustrates an enlarged top view of targetlocations shown in FIG. 4A according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the processing of a wafer havingelectrically conductive links according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a laser micromachining process according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a laser system for generating tailoredbursts of short or ultrashort laser pulses according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a laser system having a programmable burstpulse laser according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an ultrafast laser source according to oneembodiment that includes a high-speed distributed feedback diode.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a typical fiber mode-locked masteroscillator that may be used as the ultrafast laser source of FIG. 8according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a seed laser usable by the laser system togenerate shaped burst envelopes according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a laser system with a seed laser thatselectively combines the outputs of a first ultrafast laser source and asecond ultrafast laser source according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are block diagrams of respective laser systemsimplementing different pre-amplifier (phase 1) and power amplifier(phase 2) configurations according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a laser system that includes a harmonicgenerator for wavelength conversion according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In certain embodiments, a series of laser pulse bundles or bursts areused for micromachining target structures. The target structures may beon or in semiconductor devices, for example, that have multiple layerswith different laser processing characteristics. Or, the targetstructures may include a single material that has multiple laserprocessing characteristics. For example, a top surface of the material,a bulk or inner portion of the material, and a bottom surface of thematerial may have different laser processing characteristics. Further,the laser processing characteristics may vary at different depths withinthe material.

Each burst includes short laser pulses with temporal pulse widths thatare less than approximately 1 nanosecond. In some embodiments, eachlaser pulse has a temporal pulse width in a range between approximately1 nanosecond and approximately 100 femtoseconds. Temporal pulse widthsthat are less than approximately 10 picoseconds may be referred toherein as “ultrashort” or “ultrafast” laser pulses.

In certain embodiments, a burst includes a plurality of short orultrashort, mode-locked laser pulses. In other embodiments, theplurality of short or ultrashort laser pulses are generated by lasersources that are not mode-locked. Laser pulse parameters (e.g., such aspulse energy and peak power) of each pulse in the burst may beindividually controlled based on the characteristics of differentfeatures or layers of a target structure, or different processingrequirements. For example, one or more first laser pulses in a burst maybe configured to process a first layer of a semiconductor device, one ormore second laser pulses may be configured to process a second layer ofthe semiconductor device, and additional pulses in the burst may beconfigured to process additional layers in the semiconductor device.Thus, by selectively controlling an amplitude profile or envelope of thelaser pulse burst, laser processing quality is increased for eachfeature of the target structure. Further, bursts of short or ultrashortlaser pulses deliver more total laser energy to the target structurewith lower peak intensity, as compared to using a single short orultrashort laser pulse.

Reference is now made to the figures in which like reference numeralsrefer to like elements. For clarity, the first digit of a referencenumeral indicates the figure number in which the corresponding elementis first used. In the following description, numerous specific detailsare provided for a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosedherein. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that theembodiments described herein can be practiced without one or more of thespecific details, or with other methods, components, or materials.Further, in some cases, well-known structures, materials, or operationsare not shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring aspectsof the embodiments. Furthermore, the described features, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 1A and 1B graphically illustrate laser pulse bursts 110 accordingto one embodiment. Each burst 110 includes a plurality of short orultrashort laser pulses 112. In this example, each burst 110 includesfour laser pulses 112. An artisan will understand from the disclosureherein, however, that a burst 110 may include any number of laser pulses112. In one embodiment, for example, each burst 110 may include betweenthree and ten laser pulses 112.

As discussed above, each laser pulse 112 has a temporal pulse width thatis less than approximately 1 nanosecond. In certain embodiments, thetemporal pulse width of each laser pulse 112 is in a range betweenapproximately 1 nanosecond and approximately 100 femtoseconds. Inaddition, or in other embodiments, the pulse repetition rate of thelaser pulses 112 within a burst 110 is in a range between approximately100 kHz and approximately 300 MHz. In other embodiments, the pulserepetition rate of the laser pulses 112 within a burst 110 is in a rangebetween approximately 100 kHz and approximately 500 MHz. In addition, orin other embodiments, the wavelength of each laser pulse 112 is in arange between approximately 2 μm and approximately 0.2 μm. In addition,or in other embodiments, successive bursts 110 may repeat at a ratebetween approximately 1 kHz and approximately 500 kHz. In addition, orin other embodiments, the temporal width of each burst 110 is in a rangebetween approximately 1 nanosecond and approximately 1 microsecond.

As shown in FIG. 1A, each laser pulse 112 within a burst 110 may begenerated with the same amplitude. As shown in FIG. 1B, the amplitude ofeach laser pulse 112 may be individually adjusted such that each burst110 has a desired amplitude profile or burst envelope 114. The shape ofthe burst envelope 114 may be selected based on the intended targetstructure, or processing requirements. For example, as discussed above,the amplitude of one or more of the laser pulses 112 may be selected soas to process a first feature of a target structure, and the amplitudeof one or more different laser pulses 112 may be selected so as toprocess a second feature of the target structure. Accordingly, two ormore sequential laser pulses 112 within a burst 110 may have the sameamplitude for processing the same feature, and two or more sequentiallaser pulses 112 within a burst may have different amplitudes forprocessing different features. Two or more sequential laser pulses 112may also have different amplitudes for processing the same feature. Forexample, a first laser pulse 112 may have a first amplitude for removinga first portion of a feature at a target location, and a second laserpulse 112 may have a second amplitude for removing a second portion ofthe same feature at the target location.

FIG. 2 graphically illustrates example burst envelopes that may beproduced according to certain embodiments. While FIG. 2 illustrates 13different burst envelope shapes (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h),(i), (j), (k), (I), and (m), an artisan will recognize that theillustrated shapes are provided by way of example only and that anynumber of different burst envelope shapes may be produced according tothe systems and methods disclosed herein. Further, as discussed above,the selected envelope shape may be based on a particular targetstructure or material. As shown in FIG. 2, the amplitude of one or moreof the laser pulses within a burst may be adjusted to approximately zeroto form a gap 200 (see burst envelope shapes (k), (l), and (m)) betweena first set of pulses within a burst and a second set of pulses withinthe burst. Thus, a burst may be configured to form two bursts or a“double burst.”

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,516 of Yunlong Sun et al. (the “'516patent”), which patent is assigned to the assignee of this patentapplication, describes the use of a specially tailored laser pulse shapethat, in one embodiment, resembles a chair, with a fast rising peak ormultiple peaks to most effectively process links, followed by a drop-offin signal strength that remains relatively flat at a lower power levelbefore shutting off. Such a chair-shaped pulse corresponds to the burstenvelope shape (h) shown in FIG. 2. In the '516 patent, a singlenanosecond pulse is shaped, whereas the current application shapes aburst envelope corresponding to a plurality of short or ultrashort laserpulses. In other material processing applications, multiple peaks withdesired separation times may be used, such as shown in the burstenvelope shapes (c), (d), (e), (k), (l), and (m) in FIG. 2, tosequentially heat the material, remove a portion of the material tocreate a kerf, and clean out the kerf. Many other burst envelope shapesfor many different applications will occur to those skilled in the artbased on the embodiments herein.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a laser micromachining process 300 according toone embodiment. With reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3, the method 300includes generating 310 a burst 110 of laser pulses 112. The method 300also includes adjusting 312 a burst envelope 114 by adjusting one ormore first laser pulses 112 to a first amplitude to process a firstfeature at a target location, and adjusting one or more second laserpulses to a second amplitude to process a second feature at the targetlocation. The method 300 further includes directing 314 the amplitudeadjusted burst 110 of laser pulses 112 to the target location.

Different types of targets may have different types of features forlaser processing. For example, FIG. 4A is a perspective view of amultilayered semiconductor device or flat panel device 400 that isscribed using sequential laser pulse bursts 110 according to oneembodiment. The device 400 includes layers 402, 404 formed over asubstrate 406. The layers 402, 404 may include, for example, materialssuch as Cu, Al, SiO₂, SiN, fluorsilicated glass (FSG), organosilicatedglass (OSG), SiOC, SiOCN, and other materials used in IC manufacture.Further, one of the layers 402, 404 may be a low-k passivation layerthat includes, for example, an inorganic material such as SiOF or SiOBor an organic material such as polyimide-based or parylene-basedpolymer. The substrate 406 may include, for example, Si, FR4, glass,polymer, metal, composite material, and other materials used in ICmanufacture.

Electronic circuitry (not shown) may be formed in active device areasthat are separated from each other by a street 412. In this example, thesemiconductor device or flat panel device 400 is scribed such that laserkerfs 414, 416 are formed on both sides of the street 412. FIG. 4Aillustrates adjacent target locations 418 in line with the laser kerf416. For illustrative purposes, FIG. 4B schematically illustrates anenlarged top view of the target locations 418 shown in FIG. 4A accordingto one embodiment. As the laser kerf 416 continues to be formed in thedevice 400, a first laser pulse burst 110 illuminates a first targetlocation 420. Then, a second laser pulse burst 110 illuminates a secondtarget location 422. This process continues until an Nth laser pulseburst illuminates an Nth target location 424 to complete the laser kerf416 in the device 400.

For the first laser pulse burst 110, for example, an amplitude of one ormore first laser pulses 112 is configured so as to remove the top layer402 so as to expose the underlying layer 404 at the first targetlocation 420. Similarly, an amplitude of one or more second laser pulses112 is configured so as to remove the layer 404 to form the kerf 416 atthe first target location 420. Further, an amplitude of one or morethird laser pulses 112 may be configured to remove part or all (e.g.,for dicing) of the substrate 406.

As another example of the different types of targets and target featuresthat may be processed with tailored bursts 110 of laser pulses 112, FIG.5 schematically illustrates the processing of a wafer 505 havingelectrically conductive links 509 according to one embodiment. Asequential link blowing process includes scanning an XY motion stage(not shown) across the wafer 505 once for each link run 510. Repeatedlyscanning back and forth across the wafer 505 results in complete waferprocessing. A machine typically scans back and forth processing allX-axis link runs 510 (shown with solid lines) before processing theY-axis link runs 512 (shown in dashed lines). This example is merelyillustrative. Other configurations of link runs and processingmodalities are possible. For example, it is possible to process links bymoving the wafer or optics rail. In addition, link banks and link runsmay not be processed with continuous motion.

For illustrative purposes, a portion of the wafer 505 near anintersection of an X-axis link run 510 and a Y-axis link run 512 ismagnified to illustrate a plurality of links 509 arranged in groups orlink banks. During link processing, a first target location 514 isilluminated with a first tailored burst 110 of laser pulses 112 to blowa one of the links 509. Then, a second target location 516 isilluminated with a second tailored burst 110 of laser pulses 112 to blowanother link 509. Each tailored burst 110 may include one or more firstlaser pulses 112 configured to remove an overlying passivation layer(not shown), and one or more second laser pulses 112 configured toremove the link 509 at the corresponding target location 514, 516.

An artisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that many othertarget types and target features may be processed according to theembodiments herein. Further, the shape of each burst 110 may bedynamically selected based on the particular target type. Thus, deviceswith different target types may be processed with bursts 110 of laserpulses 112 having different burst envelopes.

For example, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a laser micromachining process 600according to one embodiment. With reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 6, themethod includes generating 610 bursts 110 of laser pulses 112 andadjusting 612 a burst envelope 114 of a first burst 110 of laser pulses112 based on a first target type. The method 600 also includes directing614 the first burst 110 of laser pulses 112 to a first target of thefirst type. The method 600 further includes adjusting 616 a burstenvelope 114 of a second burst 110 of laser pulses 112 based on a secondtarget type, and directing 618 the second burst 110 of laser pulses 112to a second target of the second target type. The first target typeand/or the second target type may include, for example, a scribingtarget, a dicing target, an electrically conductive link severingtarget, a material trimming target, and a via forming target.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a laser system 700 for generating tailoredbursts of short or ultrashort laser pulses according to one embodiment.The laser system 700 includes a laser source 710, a modulator 712, and acontroller 714. The system 700 may also include an optional amplifier716. The laser source 710 generates a series of short or ultrashort,mode-locked laser pulses. The laser source 710 may include, for example,a diode pumped solid state laser or fiber laser. The modulator 712amplitude modulates the laser pulses provided by the laser source 710.The modulation is based on a control signal received from the controller714. Thus, the controller 714 may be programmed with a desired burstenvelope for a particular application or target type. The optionalamplifier 716 amplifies the tailored burst of laser pulses provided bythe modulator 712.

Other system configurations may be used to generate the tailored burstsof short or ultrashort laser pulses. For example, certain embodimentsmay use the systems and methods disclosed in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/354,373, which is assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication. Several such embodiments are described below with respectto FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13A, 13B, 13C, and 14.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a laser system 800 according to oneembodiment. The laser system 800 includes a seed laser 810, apre-amplifier 812, and a power amplifier 814. The seed laser 810includes an ultrafast laser source 816 and a high-speed opticalmodulator 818. The ultrafast laser source 816 provides a train ofultrafast laser pulses 820 to the high-speed optical modulator 818. Inone embodiment, the temporal pulse width of each ultrafast laser pulse820 is in a range between approximately 300 femtoseconds andapproximately 1 nanosecond.

The ultrafast laser source 816 provides the ultrafast laser pulses 820at a high repetition rate. In one embodiment, the ultrafast laser source816 operates at a repetition rate in a range between approximately 1 Hzand approximately 100 kHz. In other embodiments, the repetition rate isin a range between approximately 100 kHz and approximately 80 MHz. Anartisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that much higherrepetition rates may also be used. For example, in some embodimentsrepetition rates as high as 500 MHz or higher may be used. In anotherembodiment, repetition rates may be as high as approximately 10 GHz orhigher.

In one embodiment, the ultrafast laser source 816 includes a high-speedultrafast semiconductor diode. For example, FIG. 9 is a block diagram ofan ultrafast laser source 816 according to one embodiment that includesa high-speed distributed feedback (DFB) diode 910. The DFB diode 910 ismodulated by a seed pulse signal 912 produced by a high-speed driver 914to provide at a high repetition rate the train of ultrafast laser pulses820. In certain embodiments, the laser source 816 includes an opticalmodulator. For example, the laser source 816 may include a 20 GHzbandwidth modulator capable of providing 50 picosecond pulse widths. Anartisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that the opticalmodulator may operate above or below 20 GHz. For example, in oneembodiment the optical modulator may operate at a bandwidth of up toapproximately 40 GHz.

Using the DFB diode 910 as the laser source 816 offers wide tunability,narrow linewidth, and high output power in a compact and very ruggedsetup. For example, a frequency selective element (not shown) within theDFB diode 910, such as a Bragg grating, is integrated into the activesection of the semiconductor. Thus, single-frequency operation and highcoherence (e.g., a coherence length in a range between approximately 50m and approximately 200 m) are obtained without any bulk optics, makingthe DFB diode 910 particularly suitable for use within harsh industrialenvironments or for airborne applications.

The DFB diode 910 shown in FIG. 9 may be tuned according to certainembodiments by changing either the temperature (e.g., typically at atuning rate of approximately 25 GHz/K) or the operating current (e.g.,typically at a tuning rate of approximately 1 GHz/mA to approximately 2GHz/mA). While current-tuning is favorable for rapid modulation tasks,thermal tuning has the advantage of providing extremely large mode-hopfree tuning ranges (e.g., up to approximately 1200 GHz). Generally, thewavelength of a DFB laser is tuned by varying the laser current or thechip temperature. Electric modulation is suitable for fast frequencyscans within a small range (e.g., for linewidths in a range betweenapproximately 0.1 nm and approximately 0.2 nm at modulation frequenciesin the kHz to MHz range). Larger tuning ranges of up to approximately 3nm are realized by varying the laser temperature, typically over aninterval of approximately 40° C.

By way of example, the DFB diode 910 may be a DFB diode equipped withpolarization maintaining (PM) fiber couplers (not shown) may be obtainedfrom Toptica Photonics, AG of Munich, Germany. As another example, thediode 910 may include an ultrafast gain-switched diode with a directmodulated source providing 50 picosecond pulse widths, as demonstratedby PicoQuant GmbH, of Berlin, Germany.

Returning to FIG. 8, in other embodiments, the ultrafast laser source816 may include a solid-state ultrafast laser, a passively mode-lockedfiber master oscillator, a combination of multi-fiber masteroscillators, a passively mode-locked semiconductor laser, or any otherhigh repetition rate ultrafast laser. For example, FIG. 10 is a blockdiagram of a typical fiber mode-locked master oscillator that may beused as the ultrafast laser source 816 of FIG. 8 according to oneembodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the fiber mode-lockedmaster oscillator includes a single mode gain fiber (SMF) 1010 thatforms a laser resonator terminated on one end by a semiconductorsaturable absorber mirror (SESAM) 1012 and on the other end bywavelength selector such as a fiber grating 1014. The gain fiber 1010 ispumped by, for example, a laser diode (not shown), the output of whichis introduced to the resonator through a wavelength division multiplexer(WDM) 1016. In operation, the fiber mode-locked master oscillator shownin FIG. 10 generates the train of ultrafast laser pulses 820 at a highrepetition rate, as discussed above. The pulse repetition rate of thefiber mode-locked master oscillator is determined by the resonator'slength.

As shown in FIG. 8, the train of ultrafast laser pulses 820 is providedto the high-speed optical modulator 818, which independently adjusts theamplitude of each pulse so as to obtain a desired burst envelope shapefor a particular material processing application. The high-speed opticalmodulator 818 may be programmed to control the temporal spacing of theultrafast pulses under the envelope, the burst envelope's temporalwidth, and/or the burst envelope's amplitude and particular shape. Theprogramable burst envelope may be obtained by using, for example, pulsepicking (e.g., selecting pulses so as to control the distance betweenpulses or the pulse repetition frequency), high-speed modulation, seedsource eletrical modulation in the case of semiconductor gain-switchedultrafast laser, or a combination of the foregoing. In one embodiment,the high-speed optical modulator 818 includes a Mach-Zehnderinterferometer (not shown) that modulates the power of the train ofultrafast laser pulses to obtain a desired burst envelope.

The temporal width of the burst envelope according to one embodiment isin a range between approximately 10 picoseconds and approximately 1nanosecond. In other embodiments, the temporal width of the burstenvelope is in a range between approximately 1 nanosecond andapproximately 10 nanoseconds. In other embodiments, the temporal widthof the burst envelope is in a range between approximately 10 nanosecondsand approximately 100 nanoseconds. In other embodiments, the temporalwidth of the burst envelope is in a range between approximately 100nanoseconds and approximately 1 microsecond. The burst envelope may haveother temporal widths depending on the particular application.

In one embodiment, the rise time and/or fall time of the burst envelopeis less than 1 nanosecond. For example, the rise time and/or fall timemay be in a range between approximately 10 picoseconds and approximately1 nanosecond. Faster or slower rise/fall times may also be used fordifferent applications. For example, the rise time and/or fall time maybe in a range between approximately 1 nanosecond and approximately 5nanoseconds. The laser system's ability to a provide burst envelope witha fast rise time and/or fall time is useful, for example, to linksevering applications because it reduces the risk of generating overcraters in the overlying passivation layer.

The pre-amplifier 812 and the power amplifier 814 provide appropriateamplification to the shaped burst of ultrafast laser pulses provided atthe ouput of the high-speed optical modulator 818. The pre-amplifier 812according to certain embodiments may include photonic crystals, LMA gainfiber, or single mode gain fiber. In addition, or in other embodiments,the power amplifier 814 includes a solid-state gain medium. As discussedbelow, in certain embodiments, the pre-amplifier 812 and the poweramplifier 814 may include any combination of fibe or solid stateamplifiers.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a seed laser 810 usable by the lasersystem 800 to generate shaped burst envelopes according to oneembodiment. The seed laser 810 shown in FIG. 11 includes an ultrafastlaser source 816, a pulse picker 1110, and a pulse shaper 1112. Theultrafast laser source 816 in this embodiment is a fiber mode-lockedmaster oscillator that includes, as discussed above in relation to FIG.10, the SMF 1010, the SESAM 1012, the fiber grating 1014, and the WDM1016.

The pulse picker 1110 may include, for example, an acousto-optical (AO)modulator or an electro-optical (EO) modulator that is configured tochange the repetition rate of the train of ultrafast pulses 820. Asmentioned above, the main mode-lock frequency is determined by theresonator's length, which is fixed for a given oscillator. For example,the mode lock frequency may be approximately 1 GHz, which may not beideal for processing certain materials. Thus, the pulse picker 1110passes the pulses provided by the fiber mode-locked master oscillator ata selected rate to lower the repetition rate (e.g., to change it fromapproximately 1 GHz to approximately 500 MHz or to a much lower ratesuch as to a few Hertz), as represented in FIG. 11 by the train ofultrafast laser pulses 1114. As another example, additional temporaldelay may be added between two ultrafast laser pulses in a burst toallow heat dissipation. Thus, the pulse picker 1110 may be used toselectively change the spacing between ultrafast laser pulses to controlheating during material processing.

The pulse shaper 1112 may include, for example, an EO modulator that isconfigured to selectively provide amplitude modulation to each pulse inthe train of ultrafast laser pulses 1114. Thus, the pulse shaper 1112selectively shapes the burst envelope 1116, as shown in FIG. 11. Asdiscussed in relation to FIG. 8, the shaped burst of laser pulses maythen be provided to the pre-amplifier 812 and the power amplifier 814before being applied to a workpiece.

Repetition rates may be increased and further controlled by selectivelycombining two or more ultrafast laser sources. For example, FIG. 12 is ablock diagram of a laser system 800 with a seed laser 810 thatselectively combines the outputs of a first ultrafast laser source 1210and a second ultrafast laser source 1212 according to one embodiment.The outputs may be combined, for example, the increase the overallrepetition rate of the train of ultrafast laser pulses 820 provided tothe high-speed optical modulator 818.

The first ultrafast laser source 1210 and the second ultrafast lasersource 1212 may each include any of the example ultrafast laser sourceembodiments discussed herein or otherwise known in the art. In oneembodiment, a first pulse picker 1214 may be used to selectively reducethe repetition rate of the first ultrafast laser source 1210, and asecond pulse picker 1216 may be used to selectively reduce therepetition rate of the second ultrafast laser source 1212. The seedlaser 810 may also include a controller 1218 in communication with thefirst pulse picker 1214 and the second pulse picker 1216 to selectivelycontrol the respective repetition rates. Thus, the controller 1218controls the overall repetition rate of the train of ultrafast laserpulses 820 as well as the temporal spacing between any two pulses withinthe train of ultrafast laser pulses 820. As discussed above, the trainof ultrafast laser pulses is then provided to the high-speed opticalmodulator 818 for burst envelope shaping, the pre-amplifier 812, and thepower amplifier 814.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are block diagrams of respective laser systems800 implementing different configurations of pre-amplifiers 812 (phase1) and power amplifiers 814 (phase 2) according to certain embodiments.The example embodiments shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C each includethe seed laser 810, as discussed above in relation to FIG. 8, to provideselectively shaped burst envelopes. In FIG. 13A, the pre-amplifier 812and the power amplifier 814 each include one or more gain fiberamplifiers. In FIG. 13B, the pre-amplifier 812 and the power amplifier814 each include one or more solid-state amplifiers. In FIG. 13C, ahybrid amplifier is used in which the pre-amplifier 812 includes one ormore gain fiber amplifiers and the power amplifier 814 includes one ormore solid-state amplifiers. Although not shown, in other embodiments,the hybrid amplifier shown in FIG. 13C may be reversed such that thepre-amplifier 812 includes solid-state amplifiers and the poweramplifier 814 includes gain fiber amplifiers. In other embodiments, thepre-amplifier 812 and/or the power amplifier 814 may include acombination of gain fiber amplifiers and solid-state amplifiers. Each ofthe gain fiber amplifiers may include, for example, Ytterbium (Yb),Erbium (Er), or Neodymium (Nd) glass. While only two amplifier stagesare shown in each embodiment, amplifier stages may be added to produceat least 1 kW of peak power output according to certain embodiments. Thehybrid or “tandem” configurations are more robust at peak power levelsgreater than 1 kW because they include bulk solid-state amplifiers.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a laser system 800 that includes aharmonic generator 1410 for wavelength conversion according to oneembodiment. The laser system 800 includes the seed laser 810 having theultrafast laser source 816 as discussed above in relation to FIG. 8. Theultrafast laser source 816 may be a linearly polarized, narrow bandwidthsource. For example, the ultrafast laser source 816 may have a bandwidththat is less than approximately 1 nm, and the amplifiers 812, 814 may beconfigured to maintain the polarization, which is suitable for nonlinearconversion to shorter wavelengths by harmonic generation or to longerwavelengths by Raman or OPO. Thus, the harmonic generator 1410 may beused to obtain wavelength ranges such as green, ultraviolet (UV), ordeep ultraviolet (DUV).

The embodiments disclosed herein provide unique advantages for laserprocessing of materials including, for example, for processing ofmulti-layer semiconductor devices or flat panel devices where the desireis to process one or more of these layers without causing damage to thedevice substrate. Conventional nanosecond laser pulses may not besuitable for processing of sub-micron sized features in layered devicesbecause the resulting heat affected zone is large and may damageadjacent and underlying structures, or because different layers requiredifferent laser parameters to deliver an acceptable process quality,which a single nanosecond pulse may not deliver. Conventional picosecondlasers may also not be suitable for processing of semiconductor layersbecause the large peak powers required may cause significant heating tothe underlying substrate. Thus, the burst pulse laser 810 disclosedherein combines the useful features of both nanosecond and picosecondpulse types.

It will be understood by those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope ofthe present invention should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

1-18. (canceled)
 19. A laser micromachining method comprising:generating a burst of laser pulses; adjusting respective amplitudes ofindividual laser pulses within the burst of laser pulses to produce aselectively shaped single burst envelope for processing a targetlocation within a workpiece, the target location include a first layerand at least a second layer within a single material substrate, whereinthe first layer and the at least a second layer of material havingdifferent laser processing characteristics, the adjusting comprising:selectively adjusting one or more first laser pulses within the singlebursts envelope to a first amplitude based on processing characteristicsof a first layer within a single material substrate; selectivelyadjusting the at least a second laser pulses within the single burstsenvelope to at least a second amplitude based on processingcharacteristics of at least a second layer within a single materialsubstrate; and directing the amplitude adjusted burst of laser pulses totarget location within the single material substrate.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein generating the burst of laser pulses comprises:generating mode-locked laser pulses comprising respective temporal pulsewidths that are less than or equal to approximately 1 nanosecond. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the respective temporal pulse widths arein a range between approximately 1 nanosecond and approximately 100femtoseconds.
 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising: generatingthe laser pulses at a repetition rate in a range between approximately100 kHz and approximately 500 kHz.
 23. The method of claim 19, whereingenerating the burst of laser pulses comprises: generating the burstwithin a temporal width in a range between approximately 1 nanosecondand approximately 1 microsecond.
 24. The method of claim 19 wherein thesingle material substrate comprises glass.
 25. The method of claim 19wherein the single material substrate comprises a flat panel display.26. A laser micromachining method comprising: generating bursts of laserpulses; adjusting a burst envelope of a first burst of laser pulsesbased on a first target type within a single material substrate;adjusting a burst envelope of at least a second burst of laser pulsesbased on at least a second target type within a single materialsubstrate; directing the first burst of laser pulses to a first targetlocation of the first target type; and directing the at least a secondburst of laser pulses to a second target location of the at least asecond target type.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first targettype and the at least a second target type are selected from the groupconsisting of top surface of the single material substrate, an innerportion of the single material substrate, and a bottom surface of thesingle material substrate.
 28. The method of claim 26 wherein the singlematerial substrate comprises glass.
 29. The method of claim 26 whereinthe single material substrate comprises a flat panel display.
 30. Themethod of claim 26, wherein adjusting the burst envelope of the firstburst of laser pulses comprises: selectively adjusting one or more firstlaser pulses within the first burst to a first amplitude based onprocessing characteristics of a first feature at the first targetlocation; and selectively adjusting one or more second laser pulseswithin the first burst to a second amplitude based on processingcharacteristics of a second feature at the first target location. 31.The method of claim 26 wherein generating the burst of laser pulsescomprises generating each burst with a temporal range between 1nanosecond and 1 microsecond.
 32. The method of claim 26 whereingenerating the bursts of laser pulses comprises generating mode-lockedlaser pulses having respective temporal pulse widths that are less than1 nanosecond.
 33. The method of claim 26 wherein the respective temporalpulse widths are in a range between 1 nanosecond and 100 femtoseconds.